2008: What a year in Hollywood Pt. 1

Well, 2008 has just about come and gone. And what a year it has been. So much has happened this year, making it a truly memorable year in Hollywood. All of the other movie sites are busy writing top movie lists, if they haven’t already done so. We have just put up the first installment of our list. But I thought, this year has been about so much more than just big time movies. And if all we did here at MovieGuys was a top movie list, we would not be doing this year in Hollywood any justice. And I want to remind everyone about all the other events from this year: tragic deaths, big box office numbers, the 3D explosion, and so much more. I will present these to you, along with my commentary, in no particular order. So, without further ado, I present to you the year that was 2008.

I want to first off state that I do not want this piece to leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth. So I will begin with the tragedies of this year so that we may leave on a positive note. Many people will remember this year as a year of loss. Hollywood lost a great number of people this year, from big name stars to character actors. We even lost the voice of the movie trailer itself. Here, I will list some of the bigger names that were lost this year. And I can honestly say that my thoughts and prayers, as well as the well wishes of all of us here at MovieGuys, are with the families of the deceased. In no particular order, may we remember the following individuals by remembering the joy they brought so many people:

Majel Roddenberry, the voice of all Star Fleet computers in the many iterations of Star Trek. She was 76. Character actor Robert Pronsky. He was 77. Movie star and gun rights activist Charlton Heston. He was 84. Director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack. He was 73. Comedic actor Harvey Korman. He was 81. Visual effects master Stan Winston. He was 62. Actor and ground-breaking comedian George Carlin. He was 71. Actor and stand up comedian Bernie Mac. He was 50. Actor, activist and race car driver Paul Newman. He was 83. Michael Crichton, author of the book turned movie Jurassic Park. He was 66. The infamous “voice of the movie trailer” Don LaFontaine. He was 68. And finally, the tragic death that will probably come to mind before all the others, actor Heath Ledger. Tragically, he was only 28.

All of these deaths were tragic, and Hollywood is a worse place without these fine people. May they rest in peace.

Let’s get to something exciting, shall we? This year can no doubt be called the year of the box office smashes. January kicked things off with a big opening weekend for JJ Abrams’ giant monster movie Cloverfield. It made an estimated $40,058,229, breaking the record held by Star Wars (special edition) for biggest opening weekend in January. Things certainly didn’t slow down as March brought us Horton Hears a Who, and that earned an estimated $45,012,998. The summer movie season got kicked off with a bang following the release of Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr and directed by Jon Favreau. This film was exciting, and even though Iron Man would be classified as one of marvel comics “B list” characters, fans came in big numbers. And the film went on to be the first big box office draw of the season. The movie took in an estimated $580,379,406. Rotten Tomatoes list Iron Man as having a 93% positive review rate.

Iron Man was followed by The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Sex and the City, Kung Fu Panda, The Incredible Hulk, Wall-E and Hancock, all of which grossed over $50,000,000. Big numbers so far pale in comparison to what was to come. July 20th brought The Dark Knight and records were shattered. TDK went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all time, shattering records as it stayed near the top of the box office for well over a month. November brought us Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Quantum of Solace, and Twilight. All of those films went on to have very successful runs in the theater, grossing loads of cash.

I believe there is something bigger here. The big box office numbers from early in January till now indicates to me that despite the economy, people are enjoying movies now more than ever. And who wouldn’t? This year was filled with great films. It sure has been fun this year. We have seen greatness in all genres. Horror had Cloverfield and The Strangers. Action had Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The kiddies had Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E. Chick flicks had Sex and the City and Twilight. Everyone had something they could enjoy this year!

This year also saw a spike in the number of 3D films that were in wide release. We saw this used in both concerts broadcast on the theater screens and in traditional movies. Journey to the Center of the Earth, starring Brendan Fraser and Bolt are perfect examples. Now, neither of those movies went on to be huge box office draws, but that doesn’t seem to scare film makers away from this type of film. Announcements were made this year regarding future 3D projects, including James Cameron’s Avatar and Monsters vs Aliens by Rob Letterman. Soon we will see sports games broadcast in 3D. What does this mean for all of us? And who is behind this? Well, you could refer to 790’s article on 3D here. I can honestly say I am straddling the fence on this issue. On one hand, I enjoy the occasional 3D flick. On the other, I see this heading to a bad place. As 790 referenced in the aforementioned article, some people feel that 3D is the future, and soon most of if not all of the films being made will be made this way. I do not like anyone telling me how I should view a film. I know there are also many people out there (including some of our valued friends here at MovieGuys) that cannot properly view and enjoy 3D due to optical issues. So why should they be left out?

That just about wraps up part one of my two part “Year in Review” for 2008. Make sure to tune in tomorrow for one more big story from Hollywood and my final thoughts on the year that was 2008!

Great recap Jon,,, what a heavy year of loss and at the same time 2008 was the best overall year in films in 20 years ,,, 2009 is looking to be pretty good as well,,,!
I hope everyone has a better new year. We can all use one.

Metallicat79

Great recap Jon. I think the this year was a bad year for death in Hollywood. The medias coverage of Heath Ledger’s death was so over done and over hyped. Had they just announced his death and left everything else alone, it would have been a lot easier to reflect on a great and talented actors tragic passing. Having said that, there are two on the death list that i am really going to miss, and that is Bernie Mac and Michael Crichton. I really enjoyed watching Bernie, reagrdless on what film he was in ( I even watched the peice of crap that was Guess Who and Mr 3000) and Jurrasic Park is ine of my top 5 books that i have actually read.
Moving on, it was an interesting year in movies, take away TDK, Iron Man, Indian Jones, The incredible Hulk, Wall-e and Kung Fu Panada, it was really lackluster. Good year for comic book adaptations, bad for everything else. Will Smith even had a near flop in Seven Punds,as I understand. The world must be coming to an end if Will Smith has a flop.

Metallicat79

@Jon
The only thing that pissed me off about Cloverfield was the ending, af ter sitting through all that, and the story giving you the idea that they will make it out alive and they end up getting blown up, I felt ripped off. Up until then i found it quite entertaining. As for Will Smith, I enjoy his films, though I would really love to see him portray a villain, and not just any villian, a dark Villian. Enough of the “Captain America, Save the world again crap”.

I am basing my Movie Opinion on how many movies made feel like I absoultly had to go and see, and honestly there were not that many for me this year, asiside form the big money Makers (TDK, Iron Man Etc.)

Wanted really did not look all taht appealing to me, it looks like something that had already been done before (which is becoming a Hollywood Staple these days) the only thing that looked remotly interesting was Morgan Freeman.

Jon Stephens

Thanks guys.

@Metallicat
What did you think of Cloverfield? And I didn’t mention it here because it wasn’t a huge earner, but I loved Wanted. Despite my feelings on some of the films in genres I’m not huge on, even I can admit that there were good Rom-Com’s this year too. I have to agree with 790 about it being a great year at the movies. Because you can’t just take away the films that are successful. That said, the year sure would have been worse without those films, but we got them so it was a good year.

Will Smith… What can I say about him that wont get me accosted in my hometown… I just plain don’t like the guy. Some of his films are ok, they can be fun. But I would certainly say that Seven Pounds is not his first flop.

Thanks for the kind words everyone and make sure you check back later in the day as I will be posting the conclusion to my year in review later today!

Metallicat79

@jon
In all hoinestly looking back at the money makers, I would have to say I actully enjoyed Iron Man more tha TDK. Kind of odd, I know, But I also though Kung Fu Panda was far superior than Wall-e
(i Felt that Wall-e, albeit entertaing and likable, was rather One dimensional, meanining aside from the two main charactors, it had no real substance). Kung Fu Panda had it all, it made me laugh and still does on DVD and all the charactors were likable and you could realte with more than Wall-E.

What was your take on Indy? I enjoyed it, but really couldnt stand Mutt and the wedding in the end. If they make Indy 5, i believe it will feel more like “the Mummy” films, with the famil of archialogists running around for treasure. I would welcome #5, if its just Indy and Marion, ditch the kid, and Give Harrison a proper send off.

Jon Stephens

I can’t disagree with you on the ending. I guess the only thing I can think Abrams was thinking is that everyone should be happy they finally were together again at the very end. And if Will Smith ever played a twisted, dark villain… I’d be there opening day. I would LOVE to see that. May even change my opinion about the guy. Cause right now, I feel like he’s a one trick pony. Always the likeable guy.

I see what you are saying about the movies this year. But man oh man, were those money makers good! I loved all of them. They were all fun in their own way. I really enjoyed myself at the theaters this year.

As for Wanted, I will readily admit that there were aspects of the film that had been done before. But the film was unfairly marketed. The trailers/clips/tv spots made it seem like something it wasn’t. First off, it was not about Angelina Jolie. She was a secondary character in the film, but one would think she was the star. Thats B.S The star of the film was James McAvoy. And he was AWESOME in this. He played a dual role; in the beginning he was an absolute loser and it was really funny seeing the world dump on him. Then he turned into this absolute bad ass assassin, and it was really cool to see. The film was mostly about a corrupt organization of assassins and how McAvoy sought revenge for certain events in the film. If all you know about the film is what you saw on tv, it might be worth a rental. You should definitely check out my review of the film first. It isn’t for everyone, but it surely isn’t what it looked like.

BTW, did you ever figure out the downloads thing? If you need any help, let me know

I can see that. Iron Man was a lot of fun, and I loved that every bit as much as I loved TDK. But its different. They are completely different films and really shouldn’t be compared. and Kung Fu Panda was better than Wall-E. I completely agree with your assessment of Indy. It was good, but frustrating at times. I don’t think if they make another Indy, that it will have Ford in it. I think they wanted to set up Mutt for his own franchise. That whole cap thing.

Damn that kid. I think he is great, very funny. But damn him. Two franchises? Some guys have all the luck!

I felt the ending to Cloverfield was all but perfection. The way the recorded part of the tape then switched to play as we saw the two main characters on the Trolley to Coney Island.
Did you guys notice baby clover fall into the ocean during the last few seconds of the film. (Brilliant)

Jon Stephens

Yep, I saw that.

Cloverfield was an amazing movie. I literally was on the edge of my seat in the theater. And the more I think about the ending, the more I like it. I’m really glad they got together in the end. I really think that was the point, that they weren’t moving on from this world until they were together again as they should be. JJ is a really bright guy. I’m looking forward to seeing what he did to Star Trek, and what he may give us next.